Where Blue Begins

Deborah Coleman | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 15, 1998)
• Original Release Date: September 15, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blind Pig
• ASIN: B00000AECA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,430 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This is guitarist Deborah Coleman’s second album for Blind Pig Records. Coleman has been making quite a name for herself, having been nominated for several prestigious blues awards and putting on shows that are fast becoming sold-out affairs. But then, that comes as no surprise to those who have heard her; Coleman's exquisite guitar work is seamless. Put a Fender in her hands and it takes on a life of its own. Deborah's vocals are intense--full of feeling without sounding trite or pretentious. Her influences range from Albert Collins and Freddie King to Jimi Hendrix. Check out "Travelin' South" for high gear excitement, or the sporty "They Raided the Joint." This is straight- ahead blues without frills or filler. Throughout the album, she gets ample support from members of the late Luther Allison's band. Coleman definitely has it, and you can get it for yourself on this release. --Lars Gandil

Living Blues

Coleman's guitar chops outpace her vocal impact--she tends to surrender control to the rhythm section on uptempo numbers, and she would be well advised to slow the pace a bit more often and let the melody take over from the beat. Still, she continues to show increased self-assurance each time out....

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Guitar Magazine Says..., May 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Where Blue Begins (Audio CD)

Deborah Coleman just may be the hottest thing going in the blues world today. Her first Blind Pig CD, I Can't Lose, was chock full of refined guitarwork, emotional vocals, and well-crafted songs written by Coleman herself. Where Blue Begins is more of a good thing. On this new CD, Coleman is backed by the James Solberg Band, Luther Allison's former U.S. touring and recording group. As might be expected, Coleman's sound on this disc is thus even rougher and tougher, streaked with a rock'n'roll edge. Joanna Connor adds her typical brand of raucous slide guitar on one cut. The majority of the cuts here are Coleman originals, and these songs shine above the handful of covers. Coleman can craft a fine blues tune---and then back it up with sweet guitar playing. Crown her the new queen of the blues.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deborah's second is great, October 19, 2000

By 

Wade C. Boring (Springfield, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Where Blue Begins (Audio CD)

I have all of Deborah Coleman's CD's and have had the pleasure of seeing her live. This release is arguably her best. Where Blue Begins is perhaps slightly less funky than her first release, I Can't Loose, and slightly blusier than her latest, Soft Place To Fall. Her vocals are strong and her guitar playing impeccable as always.I believe she was nominated for a W.C. Handy award for this release. I would say buy them all, but if you can only have one - this is it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deborah Coleman: Struttin' Her Stuff, August 6, 2002

By 

Mel Odom (Moore, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Where Blue Begins (Audio CD)

Deborah Coleman's WHERE BLUE BEGINS is an excellent CD featuring blues and rocking R&B. Her voice can be sexy, sassy, and downright sarcastic, but she brings a sad edge to the tunes that need that mournful sound. The lady also plays a great lead and slide guitar. WHERE BLUE BEGINS offers up a range of great music for the blues enthusiast, and if Deborah Coleman's music is an unfamiliar thing, this CD is a treat and showcases some of this wonderful blues singer's best.

WHERE BLUE BEGINS is Deborah Coleman's third album and her second for Blind Pig Records. New Moon released her first album, TAKIN' A STAND, followed by Blind Pig's release of I CAN'T LOSE. Blind Pig has also released SOFT PLACE TO FALL and LIVIN' ON LOVE (Coleman's latest release). Coming from a musically inclined family, Coleman took a temporary reprieve from her future in music by becoming an electrician and raising her daughter. Then, in 1993, Coleman put a three-piece band together that included her brother and a friend, and traveled to South Carolina's Charleston Blue Festival's National Amatuer Talent Search. She won first place and re-started the music career she'd temporarily stepped away from. The music contracts and success swiftly followed.

Seven of the eleven songs on the CD were written by Deborah Coleman, proving her skills as a songsmith as well. "Love Moves Me" is a bluesy feel-good piece that rocks the listener into a ready-for-anything mood. Stepping up the tempo, "Goodbye Misery" gets the blood going and brings about a lust for freedom. "Hain't It Funny" is one of the covers Coleman does on the CD but she showcases her guitar licks, and her voice turns sweet and sultry, hinting at the pain she is capable of projecting. Coleman gets back to some serious rocking in her cover of "Travelin' South", layering in some serious head-bobbing funk for the listener. "The Dream" brings the listening experience back down to something slow and mellow, and Coleman's voice aches with the heaviness of emotion, a true blues number. In "Walk Your Walk", Coleman once again leans on her guitar work and delivers an R&B piece that would fit perfectly in a small bar filled with a blue haze of cigarette smoke and dark shadows. She covers "They Raided The Joint" in a rollicking display of guitar licks and swing-style blues. "Do You Want My Love" has a slow delivery but displays the intensity Coleman can put into her music with her voice, backed by her guitar. "On The Hunt" picks up the tempo again and brings back the sheer fun Coleman brings to several of her songs. "Beside Myself" is a solid bluesy rocker. Closing the CD with "Nobody To Blame", Coleman slows the tempo down again, but delivers a strong blues cover of the song that has involved listeners singing the chorus with her.

WHERE BLUE BEGINS is recommended to blues listeners who like Bonnie Raitt and Delbert McClinton. Joanna Connor, another lady who sings the blues, lends her slide guitar work on "Nobody To Blame".